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Target, Cosmopolitan take flak for confusing ‘plus size’ designations

“Plus size” is a term that is meant to be a little vague. Different clothing makers have different notions of what clothing sizes fit in that range.

Target, fresh off the news of its massive credit card breach, has earned some unwanted attention for a wholly different reason, this time based on how it represents plus-size women on its website. In a photo noticed by a tipster who passed it on to Jezebel, the retail chain appeared to get the terms “plus size” and “maternity” mixed up.

Though Cosmo posted the photo in November, it’s picking up steam again because of an open letter by columnist Tony Posnanski in The Huffington Post. He writes:

You basically said she was a "plus size" model because everyone else does as well. Yet, every time she is featured in a magazine or news article, the majority of the comments are always from people shocked she is called a "plus size" model. They find it insulting, as well they should. Calling her "plus size" takes away from her modeling and then goes into another conversation. A conversation more about women's sizes and less about her modeling talent.

He goes on to plead with Cosmopolitan to simply call Lawley “a model.”